Study Says More Than One-Third Of Autistic Children Wandered Away In The Last 12 Months

autism Autism spectrum disorder Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Cohen Children's Medical Center of New York

By Elizabeth Anderson , Parent Herald May 01, 07:48 pm

More than one-third of 1,420 children ages six to 17 with autism spectrum disorders have wandered in the past twelve months, review of data from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed. This was reported in a presentation of two studies at the Pediatric Academic Societies meeting in Baltimore.

"Elopement, or wandering, places children with autism spectrum disorders at risk of serious injury or even death once they are away from adult supervision," said Andrew Adesman, MD, as per Science Daily. Adesman is the chief of developmental pediatrics at Cohen Children's Medical Center of New York. He is also the senior investigator of the two studies.

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Safety And Well-Being Of Children With Autism Underscored

"Despite its clear relevance to the safety of these children, there has been little research on elopement," Adesman said, as per Science Daily. The children with autism spectrum disorders who wandered away were also found to wander twice as likely from public place, compared to their home or school.

Bridget Kiely, one of the principal investigators of the study said, via EurekAlert!, that there is a need to better understand behaviors that may endanger the safety and well-being of children with autism spectrum behaviors. Kiely is a research assistant in the division of developmental and behavioral pediatrics at Cohen Children's Medical Center of New York.

Children With Autism Unaware Of Danger, Prone to Mood Changes

Health Day reported that the children who wandered away from safe environments were more likely to be unaware when they were in dangerous situations. The children with autism were also said to "have trouble distinguishing between strangers and familiar people."

Moreover, the children were also found to be more prone to sudden mood changes, over-react to situations and people, Health Day added. The children with autism spectrum disorders were also more likely to panic in new situations or when faced with change.

What do you think should be done to prevent autistic kids from wandering around from safe environments? Write your comments below.